


it's fine, it's okay.

by flannelblues



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Autistic Spencer Reid, F/F, Gen, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26441284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelblues/pseuds/flannelblues
Summary: Emily confides in Reid about her crush.
Relationships: Emily Prentiss & Spencer Reid, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 2
Kudos: 87





	it's fine, it's okay.

“We’ve got a few hours before Hotch wants us on the jet, what do you say to McDonald’s?” Emily turns towards him as they turn off the highway, she’s smiling even with the graze on her cheek from a skirmish with the unsub. Reid gives her a sheepish smile and a nod in return. It’d been a relatively smooth case, they could justify some fast food. 

“Did you know that the McDonald’s golden arch is more recognizable than the holy cross?”

“No, I did not. But I can't say I'm not surprised.” She shakes her head and smiles.

Reid likes Emily. He still feels a little bad about the fact that some of her first impressions happened to be right after (and worse, during) Hankel, but he likes to think they’ve moved past it. She’d been the only one on the team to really confront him about how he’d been acting. Which while at the time, it made him angry and defensive, he now appreciates it. He trusts her.

She treats him like he’s an adult. Like he’s capable of handling himself in the field.

“What do you want?” They’re already at the drive-thru and Emily’s winding the window down.

“Just some fries, please.” He smiles again and she gives him a look.

“Ugh, so boring, doctor!”

Reid listens as she gives the nice but tired teenager their order and looks at Emily’s hand on the steering wheel. He frowns, her nails are jagged at the end and her cuticles are torn. Has she been stressed about something?

Before he can push down the lump in his throat and ask her if she’s okay, she’s already handing him his fries and pulling out of the parking lot. She turns on the radio and starts what Reid thinks is purposefully badly belting to whatever pop song is on. Nibbling on the salty fries, he tries to think if there’s been anything that’s happened recently that could be making Emily act so, well, weird. 

“Emily could you turn down the music, please.” He mumbles, she doesn’t hear him.

“C’mon Reid don’t you know the words? Sing along!” Why’s she acting like this? Normally she’s fine to sit in a comfortable quiet with him, only interrupting with the occasional banter or joke about Morgan’s eyebrows, or Hotch’s identical suits. But right now she feels like a babysitter who’s trying way too hard to have fun.

“Emily!” He shouts as the border collie runs out onto the road. Emily swerves and only just misses it. She turns off the radio and takes a few deep breaths.

“Sorry, Reid.” She looks at him and gives a faint chuckle. The air in the car is quiet.

“Is something up?” He tries to sound casual, but he really is worried. Emily’s normally such a pillar of stability for him, and to see any cracks in that pillar just feels so wrong to him.“It’s just.. You seem like you’re forcing cheerfulness, or something.” He mumbles, shaking his head. Emily bites her lip and doesn’t respond. _He’s ruined everything, hasn’t he?_   
“I’m sorry.” He tries to laugh, but it comes out as more of a shaky breath. “I shouldn’t have bought it up.” Emily looks down for a few seconds before giving him a response.

“JJ’s pregnant.” She huffs and her eyes dart from the dashboard to him for a split second.   
“Isn’t that, like, a good thing?” He still doesn’t understand the excitement around babies all that much, but he knew that it was generally considered something to be happy about.

“It is!” She says a little too quickly. “It is. I’m happy for her.” Her voice goes much quieter.

“Then what’s the problem?” He offers her one of her fries and she takes it.

“That means she’s stickin’ with him. I guess.” She pulls her lips tight.

“With who? Will?” He still doesn’t quite get it.

“Yep.”

Silence.

“I think Will’s nice.” He says lamely.

“It’s not that he’s not nice, Reid.” She sighs, she’s really going to have to say it outright. “It’s because I like JJ.”   
“I like her too, I just don’t see why-” Oh. _Oh_. Now he gets it. “You like her romantically.” Emily gives a little wet laugh at that.

“I do, huh?” She says, more to herself than Reid. He really hopes she doesn’t start crying, but he can see the tiny shine in the corners of her eyes.

In hindsight, he probably should’ve realized a while ago. He’s seen Emily and JJ walk into each other’s hotel rooms late at night while he ventures to the snack machine. And he’s seen the tenderness in Emily’s eyes as she braids JJ’s hair on the plane.

All those hugs where Emily holds onto JJ just that little bit longer than her other teammates. All those times at the roundtable when JJ has her ankle hooked just over Emily’s shoe as they sit with their elbows touching.

God, they even shared clothes on a semi-regular basis, he was a little surprised at just how unobservant he’d been.

”Sorry.” She says. “I’m just being stupid.” 

“No! No, you’re not, really!” He says quickly. 

He doesn’t quite get romance, he never really has. But he understands that it’s important to his friend.

“So um- what’re you going to do?” He starts bouncing his leg, he’s not good at these kinds of things, is he?   
  


“Nothing.” She shrugs a little. 

“That’s…” He mumbles. “..Sad.”

“Sure is.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really like shippy stuff, so this is the closest I'll ever really get haha. Title is from a girl in red song, bc, yknow,,
> 
> Let me know what you thought!


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